Two years ago at this time of year, Colorado manager Clint Hurdle led the Rockies to a remarkable 23-8 finish. They were 4.5 games behind in the National League wild-card race with two weeks to play, but they secured the final playoff berth with a stunning 14-1 surge that wrapped with come-from-behind 9-8 victory in 13 innings over San Diego in Game No. 163.

Although the Rockies have held down the NL’s final playoff spot since Aug. 10, it’s hard not to see comparisons between the 2007 and 2009 clubs.

This year’s version looked dead in the water months ago. On May 28, after the Rockies had lost 10 of their last 15 games, they were 18-28. Among all major league teams, only the Washington Nationals had a worse record. At that point, Colorado’s only shot to secure a playoff berth seemed to be 2010.

General manager Dan O’Dowd fired Hurdle the following day, and new skipper Jim Tracy has directed the team to a 62-32 record since his appointment. A week after Tracy’s arrival, Colorado went on a 17-1 run to climb back into contention.

The Rockies’ repeat of their 2007 magical run seemed to be gasping for air at the end of August, however, when they lost their last five games of the month to division rivals Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The Giants pulled into a tie for the wild-card berth after sweeping a weekend series from the Rockies, whose wild-card aspirations took another hit when closer Huston Street was sidelined with tightness in his right biceps at the start of September. With lefty Franklin Morales stepping in for Street and saving five games in five chances, the Rockies have gone 8-1 this month and have won six in a row going into their Thursday afternoon matchup with Cincinnati.

Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who hit .346/.398/.607 with 23 RBIs in August, sat out Wednesday’s win over the Reds with a back strain. It’s uncertain when he or Street will return, but the Rockies keep winning without them.

The Rocks also have won without Jeff Francis this season, and without Aaron Cook since he went on the disabled list with a shoulder strain on Aug. 22. Ubaldo Jimenez has emerged as the staff ace with a solid season, and the likes of Jason Hammel, Jorge de la Rosa and trade acquisition Jose Contreras have been pitching well of late. The rotation has a 2.98 ERA and .227 OBA in nine September contests -- all of them at Coors Field.

The bullpen has been pretty solid, too, with Morales converting all five of his September save opportunities and the pen as a whole limiting hitters to a .207 average this month.

Offensively, the Rockies are batting .294/.374/.510 in September. Those numbers aren’t the best in the majors this month, but they have been more than adequate with the pitching staff doing so well.

The remaining schedule mostly features games within the NL West, though in two weeks there’s a weekend series with possible first-round playoff opponent St. Louis in Denver. The season ends at Dodger Stadium, where the fate of the Rockies’ surprising 2009 revival may be sealed.